Washington's Reagan National Airport (DCA) has seen multiple incidents regarding travelers carrying guns through the airport.

On Christmas Eve, the latest addition to this frighteningly increasing number involved a woman attempting to bring a loaded handgun through a TSA checkpoint.

Record Numbers

Including this incident, Reagan Airport has seen 39 episodes where its TSA officers discovered guns at the security checkpoints. This is an all-time new record, surpassing the previous record of 30 in 2021.

Just ten days earlier, three travelers on the same day were stopped from attempting to bring handguns onto their flights. These travelers were not together and were stopped at different times during the day.

In October, the TSA released third-quarter data from 2023 that showed an overall spike in travelers bringing loaded firearms to American airport security checkpoints. 

In 2022, more than 6,500 firearms were intercepted at airports across the United States. As per the TSA's data from Q3 2023, they expect that number to increase by the end of the year.

Consequences?

The woman from the most recent incident and the three other individuals face fines of up to $15,000 as per civil penalties imposed by the TSA.

John Busch, TSA's federal security director at Reagan Airport, had the following to note on this incident:

"Bringing a gun to an airport security checkpoint was no way to enter the holiday. There's naughty and there's nice at this time of year and the nice way to transport your firearm is to make sure it is unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, and declared at your airline check-in counter."

"The naughty way is to bring it to a checkpoint," Busch added.

The Transportation Safety Administration's official website states that passengers may transport only unloaded firearms and in checked baggage. What's more, not just any checked baggage will suffice: the firearms must be transported in a locked, hard-sided container.

The TSA's "Civil Enforcement" page states that firearms, whether loaded or unloaded, are prohibited items with regard to carry-on luggage. If an individual is found to have carried a firearm in accessible baggage, civil penalties will be assessed.

According to a chart on the same page, the fines for carrying a loaded firearm or an unloaded firearm with accessible ammunition through a checkpoint, sterile area, or onboard an aircraft are as follows:

• Ranges from $3,000 - $10,000 + a criminal referral
• Ranges from $10,700 - $14,950 + a criminal referral (if it was a repeat occurrence)

An explanation for the huge increase in firearms being discovered across American airports is difficult to attain. Whatever the case may be, it is important to acknowledge the vital role that TSA officers play in tackling serious situations like these.

If anyone is planning to bring a firearm on a trip with them through an airport, they must make sure to look up the TSA and their airline's guidelines on how to safely carry the device. 

Otherwise, it could cost them.